The Missing Years
by NikitaDreams
Summary: The missing time between Furious 6 and Furious 7. Letty doesn't remember things, but that won't stop the people who love her from trying to show her who she is and where she comes from. Letty's discovery of her own life through the eyes of Dom, Mia and Brian. Warning: Spoilers for Furious 7 within!
1. Chapter 1

Okay guys so… I decided to do a little series. Not sure how long it will be, but it does have a timespan between the sixth film and the seventh. If you note, at the end of six, Jack is a baby, under a year old, though maybe close to a year old. In the seventh Brian is dropping him off at what I'm assuming is preschool. I don't think the kid is quite in Kinder yet, but you can start preschool at three years old, so that means at minimum, two years have passed. And Letty still doesn't remember things. Now the events of the seventh film do change that, as we know, but I like to think she's been having at least the tiny flashes before then. And I imagine that Dom and the others were trying to take her places to do things that she might remember. I also imagine that after two years of that… anyone would start to get frustrated. So, this series will focus on those missing years, primarily around Letty, heavily Dom/Letty with some emphasis on her relationships with Mia and Brian as well. I hope you enjoy it!

**Week One – Year One**

She'd been home for days now and it still felt more than a little surreal.

That's a feeling she was used to though. She remembered when Owen took her from the hospital, to meet his crew. She could remember… not remembering anything. Feeling lost. Holding onto the one thing she did have, which was driving. At least that had always been a constant. Turned out it was a deep part of her life for reasons she hadn't known. Couldn't remember. Wasn't that strange that the girl… the woman Dom and the others told her about would have that so innately in her blood that it would be the only thing to stick when everything else was gone.

Mia had taken her on a tour of the place. It was nice… it felt homey. But she didn't remember it. Not the faded old couch in the living room, or the photos of Dom and Mia's parents crowding the walls. Mia said she'd helped them repaint the kitchen… but she didn't remember that. The yellow suited the other woman though, it seemed. They'd had a lot of barbeques in the yard and she couldn't… remember a single one. Though there were pictures and pictures. And she looked so happy in most of them. She looked so young in most of them. In fact, it was sometimes easy to tell herself that it had been someone else's life. She didn't look like that girl. She didn't know that girl.

It was like she'd woken up and started a new life the moment Letty Ortiz had supposedly lost hers.

She knew Dom… and to some extent the others, were all hoping she'd start to remember things. Hell, she was hoping she'd start to remember things. But she was also determined not to waste the time trying to recapture something that was lost. She could make new memories in the meantime. Time didn't stand still just because you needed to catch up. Life didn't stand still.

Especially not with people all around her.

It was a bit strange how easily they integrated her into their lives. As if she belonged there. And to them… she supposed that she did.

A few days after they'd been back Mia dragged her upstairs, pulled boxes out of a closet in the spare room. They were all labeled with her name. "It's your stuff," the other woman told her. "Clothes mostly. There's some other things in the garage. But… well we couldn't bring ourselves to get rid of it after and it's just been in storage with everything else this whole time."

It hadn't even been a question that she'd stay there at the house, just an assumption that everyone seemed to make. Mia made up the bed in the spare room while she sorted through the boxes.

"I know Dom would rather you stay with him…" Mia said, glancing over at her. "But just in case you want some space you can use this room."

"Thanks," Letty muttered, dubiously eyeing some of her fashion choices. "Mia you probably could have tossed the stuff that went out of style over a decade ago…"

Mia laughed. "It's all yours to toss. But there's a few things in there I think you might want to keep."

In the end she ended up sorting the stuff she was tossing into one box and things to keep in the other. Mostly pairs of old jeans, some stuff that looked like she'd worn working at the garage, coveralls and old tank tops. A very worn and faded navy shirt that said "Toretto's" across the back. Dom's name was sewn in a patch over the pocket. Perhaps something she'd liberated from him once. The fabric had been worn until it was soft against her skin and she set it aside. In the second box she found some newer stuff. Or at least not nearly as old. Jean shorts and swimsuits, a dress she couldn't imagine herself wearing carefully bundled up. She folded them all up and put them aside to keep before folding the box back up.

"I'm heading down to make dinner," Mia said, straightening up. "Come down when you're ready."

Nodding, Letty cast her gaze around the room. It looked like it could be any room… anywhere. It didn't look or feel familiar. There wasn't much in there, an old dresser and a nightstand of the same refinished wood, a basic full-sized bed that Mia had fitted with blue sheets and tucked a flowered comforter over. Had she stayed in this room before? Had it belonged to someone else?

Sighing she pushed herself to her feet. She could ask Dom or Mia. But in the grand scheme of her life, was that really important? It was just one stupid thing she didn't remember. Did it matter if she never did?

She shrugged the work shirt on over her shoulders. The fabric fell soft against her skin, and under the must of storage it still smelled faintly of grease and motor oil. It fell just past her hips, the short sleeves hitting her near the elbow, obviously far too big for her and she brushed her fingers over the name sewn over the pocket. What sort of woman had Letty been? What did they even have in common, aside from a name and the way they reacted behind the wheel of a car?

"Hey," Dom's voice at the door interrupted her thoughts and she startled, looking like a kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar. He was looking at the shirt she wore and she struggled to look nonchalant, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

"Hey," she replied.

"Mia said she set up the spare room for you," he said, looking around.

Letty shrugged. "I was just going through the boxes…" She gave him a look. "Can't believe you kept that stuff."

"I wasn't really thinking about going through anything and packing it away," he replied. "Wouldn't have wanted to if I had been. I didn't exactly have an easy time letting go."

She chuckled. "I think the fact that we're standing here now is proof enough of that."

He caught her by the wrist, turned her hand over, thumb brushing against the raised skin of the small scar there. "Wanna see something?" he asked.

"You're not trying to use that 'I'll show you my bedroom' trick are you?"

He laughed. "Do I have to?"

"No." She shot him a grin and let him lead her from the room.

Instead of heading down the hall towards the room she knew was his Dom took her to the stairs and down. It opened up into the den, where Brian was sitting with little Jack, cartoons on the television. Mia was already in the kitchen and Letty could smell something delicious in the air. Dom tugged her through the kitchen and out the back door. She was starting to get confused until he made his way towards the old garage at the end of the drive. It was a falling apart old wooden thing that looked almost like it wouldn't stand up to a stiff breeze. Dom had clearly opened it up earlier and the last lines of sunlight in the late afternoon sky fell across the dusty cement floor. There was some kind of car, covered by an equally dusty cloth.

Around the space there was some clutter. A workbench covered in tools, more against the far wall. Aged photos and newspaper clippings pinned to a corkboard. A massive toolbox in one corner. More boxes stacked on shelves or tucked beneath tables.

"I'm guessing you spent a lot of time here through the years," she said, untangling her fingers from Dom's to move further into the space.

"Yeah," he agreed. "You've spent some time here yourself."

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, offering him a small smile. "Hoping to jog a memory?" she asked. "What's under the cover?"

Dom shrugged. "It's a place I want to share with you, even if you don't remember," he replied, then motioned to the covered car. "Why don't you take a look?"

Snagging the edge of the cloth, Letty tugged it up to expose the front grill of the car. Silver and black metal gleamed back at her. She brushed her fingertips over the hood, pulling the cover further back to bare the towering supercharger and rounded silver mirrors. The car was a beast, and a beauty. She would bet it would roar when you kicked up speed.

"Gorgeous," she murmured when she'd revealed the car in all her glory. A Dodge Charger, modified and well maintained. "You drive her?"

"Yeah but… she's been through a lot," he said, coming up beside her.

She swept her gaze across the vehicle. "Can't tell…" she said softly, though for a moment she had a flash of twisted metal, a silver cross dangling from the rearview mirror. She blinked, brow furrowing, reaching for the flash… for whatever that had been. Not even a memory. Not even… anything. She let it slip away.

"You okay?" Dom asked.

"Fine," she agreed, turning to lean back against the charger, laid her hands against his chest. "Tell me about it… the Charger."

"Built her with my Dad," he said, closing his big hands over hers. She could feel the steady beat of his heart against her palm. "I'll tell you about him too. But the car… it was our project together. We used to work on it after I got home from school and on the weekends. Dad drove her in a race and… got run into a wall by another racer. I never drove her after that… for years."

Letty's fingers tightened in the fabric of his shirt. His father died in a crash. She kept silent as he went on.

"Till Brian came along. Some shit went down with our old crew… I drove her then. Raced Brian at the train tracks when a train was coming through."

"Jesus," she muttered. Apparently Dom's reckless nature was nothing new.

"We missed the train," he said, smirking down at her. "Then I plowed her into a semi…."

"It's a wonder this car even drives," she said drily.

"You fixed her up after that," he replied, dropping one hand to her hip. "Or… started to."

"Did I?" she asked, looking over at the car.

"Didn't finish it before your accident. But Mia said you wanted to have her fixed by the time I came home." He sighed, leaned in to press his face against her hair, his voice a gravelly sound that vibrated against his chest. "She said the car was cursed. But I finished the work anyway."

"Can't be cursed." She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I wasn't dead, was I?"

"I wrecked it again in Mexico… then Rio." Laughing he drew back. "I haven't been very kind to this car."

"I guess she's lucky you didn't bring her to London. Or you might have lost her off the side of that elevated Highway in Spain."

"I would have crashed this car a thousand times to catch you, Letty." He cupped her cheek with one of those big hands, until she titled her head to meet his eyes with her own.

"I know," she said, and found that she did. That she believed he would do anything for her. This man that she knew… but didn't know. She couldn't remember… loving him, or sharing all these memories with him. She couldn't remember this house, this garage, this car. But something made her want to gather up the loose ends of this life and try to twine herself back into it. Maybe her memories would never come back, but she wanted this. People who loved her. A place she belonged. Family, loyalty. Things she hadn't known since she woke up in that hospital room.

Maybe she couldn't remember loving him, but she was certain she could love him again.


	2. Chapter 2

Guys thank you so much! The faves and follows and reviews are wonderful and really help to motivate me. I'm glad to be back writing again and I'm hoping I can keep this up. Spring break is ending soon so I'll probably be a bit slower, but I promise to finish this one out. I do plan to take the story from just after Furious 6 till Letty actually gets her memories back in 7, so I might put some stuff from the film and some stuff we don't get to see when she goes off-screen in near the end. For now, I'm just working through the missing years. Also if there's a place you want to see Dom or anyone take Letty, I'm open to suggestions. I'm also focusing on them doing things together that don't always hinge on the past, since she can't remember. Thanks and enjoy!

**Week Three – Year One**

There had been plenty of time to explore the neighborhood. Everything from taking a drive down to the local store for some beers to accompanying Mia on a walk with Jack. It was kind of a strange dichotomy that her life had become from what it was before. And some days she still had trouble believing it was all real. A year ago she was holed up in some warehouse with Owen Shaw and his team, looking forward to an endless lifetime of pulling jobs for him. At the time, the rush and thrill had been enough to get her through, even when she'd questioned some of the things he'd done. Some of the things she'd done for him.

Despite the fact that she knew Dom and the rest of the crew here had more than a little adrenaline in their veins their lives were surprisingly normal. As she gathered her life had been before she'd forgotten it all. Oh, they'd done bad things, she'd been assured. Jacking trucks, stealing gas, other sorts of insanity. Things that put them on the run in the first place. The reason why Dom hadn't been able to come home. Why she'd been working undercover to gain his freedom.

But all of that didn't mean they weren't just like other people. Woke up in the morning needing a cup of coffee. Usually Mia was the first one up, the joys of motherhood she supposed. Always seemed to have breakfast ready by the time Letty or Dom managed to drag themselves down to the kitchen. She was incredibly grumpy in the mornings, something they'd told her wasn't a new development, so conversation around the breakfast table was kept at a minimum.

Apparently the Rio job they'd pulled… quite the heist it sounded, kept their bank accounts quite full, so that no one really needed to get a job. But Dom had told her that before all that, back before they'd pulled jobs that had put them on the run, they'd all worked at the garage he'd inherited from his Dad. So when he'd offered to take her there this afternoon she'd agreed. She still more than knew her way around a garage, around cars. Whatever else she'd lost when she'd lost her memories, damn near everything, she still had that much.

Maybe she was hoping that something about that would help her to remember it, to remember a part of the life she'd lost. Realistically she knew it could never happen. That there was a chance that her memories were gone forever. That she'd just have to keep on the way she was. But it seemed so unfair. To have lost a whole life. Maybe she shouldn't think of it that way. She'd fought hard enough to keep on living, which meant she'd gotten a second chance. Not many people could say as much.

She didn't have much to complain about. She had people who loved her, a roof over her head, a place to sleep… And all the world at her fingertips to explore. Time spent in Dom's company was comfortable, even if sometimes she saw something in his eyes that looked vaguely like guilt. He wasn't pushing her to try and remember things. He was patient with her, even when she just needed her space. And the others too… Brian and Mia were always sharing little bits of what they'd gotten up to in the past, welcoming her back into their lives with ease.

After lunch she'd retreated to the guest room Mia had given her, digging out some loose photos she'd found in the garage… in a box with her name on it. Tried to place the names and faces she found there. Here was one with her and Dom, Han and some woman who she couldn't place. Not Gisele, that was for sure. It looked like they were somewhere on a beach, laughing at something, smiling. Happy. She brushed her thumb across the face that she knew was her own, then frowned, tucking the photos away in the drawer of the bedside table. A knock at the door had her lifting her head to see Dom standing there, leaning against the jamb.

"Hey," he said. "You ready to go?"

"I am," she agreed, pushing herself to her feet.

They walked together down to the driveway where Dom's car was parked and Letty slid into the passenger seat as he went around to the driver's side. The drive to the garage was made mostly in silence, but Letty felt no need to fill it with words. His company was enough for her. She watched the rows of house and buildings as they drove by, grass bleached brown from too much sun and not enough rain. The sky was clear of clouds, but hazy with the smog that always seemed to linger here, washing everything like a faded photograph.

"What do you think of LA so far?" Dom asked, glancing over her as they pulled onto a street in the business district.

"I don't remember it," she replied. "But everything feels easier here. More like… I just know it somehow."

"Makes sense," he agreed. "You lived here most of your life."

"Sometimes it's just nice to drive around… without any real destination. See where I end up." She smiled.

He chuckled. "And where have you ended up?"

"Almost got lost a few times," she admitted, shrugging. "Found this little… taco stand on the south edge of the city. Maybe we could swing by there for dinner."

"Yeah," Dom agreed. "That sounds good." He smiled over at her, not mentioning if it was a place they'd been or something they'd done before. Not everything had to be something from the past. They had to go forward too.

"Found the speed trap on the old beach highway," she added, watching as they drove past rows of buildings sandwiched together, the next one looking shoddier than the last, grass overgrown around the power line poles.

"Got a ticket?" he asked.

"He let me off with a warning," she said, then laughed at his incredulous look. "What?"

"Maybe it's been too long since I've been home but the cops aren't usually that nice."

She shrugged, smirking over at him. "Guess I know something you don't, huh?"

Dom let out a chuckle, turning into a long narrow driveway between two brick buildings. "You always have," he said, shifting the car into park.

Letty looked out at the building through her window, fingers closing on the door handle. It was old, brick that had been painted white once but was peeling and worn away now. No sign proclaimed the name of the place anymore. Instead a simple "For sale" orange lettering on black had been mounted on the closed doors. Chains and a large padlock held them shut and she straightened up, looking at them with mild disappointment. "I guess we're not getting in?" she wondered, glancing over her shoulder at Dom.

"There's a door around the side," he said, motioning for him to follow him.

The dry grass crunched underfoot as they walked, and clearly some local kids had taken to hanging out around here, given the amount of beer bottles scattered around, old tires piled to fashion some sort of seating area. Letty kicked an empty can of cheap beer aside as Dom moved up to the old wooden door. One good shove with his shoulder and it gave. Pushing it wide he stepped inside and Letty followed, her eyes adjusting to the gloomy dimness of the room.

Some sunlight filtered through the windows, but the glass was hazy with age, and motes of dust drifted through the weak shafts of light. Someone had cleared the place out, no shelves or cars or old parts. Cobwebs clung to the lift that was still raised. Grease spots stained the concrete floor and along one side Letty could see an office space walled off from the rest by a row of windows. She turned a slow circle, boots scuffing on the cement floor. It looked… like a garage. An empty garage.

She strolled across the space to the back wall, stared at an empty shelf and let out a small sigh. Turned to glance back at Dom who was lingering near the doorway.

"What did it used to look like?" she asked. "When we worked here."

He chuckled, rubbing a hand over his head, looked around as if he was making a picture in his mind.

"Well for one there were always cars in here. We usually had a couple we were working on at a time. That whole wall there was full of tools…" He motioned to the empty space besides the main entrance. "And over there more shelves, spare parts. We had a basic set up in the office with a desk and computer and all that shit but Mia mostly dealt with that. An old couch against the wall over there…"

She followed where he indicated with her eyes, trying to picture and map out what he was telling her, but she only really had a vague guess shaped in her head. She pushed aside the frustration of that. "What the hell was the couch for? Someone sitting down on the job?"

Dom laughed. "Not often. Sometimes for crashing on if one of us ended up staying late catching up on work. Or… various other uses."

Something about the tone of his voice had her biting her tongue to hide the grin that threatened, until she let it go, arching one dark brow at him. "Oh yeah?" she asked, drifting closer to him. "Working hard, were we?"

His dark eyes followed her, amusement lingering in them as she drew closer. "Working hard, playing harder," he replied, reaching out to snag a lock of her hair.

She lifted her gaze, their eyes meeting, breath mingling where they stood close together. She tilted her head as Dom leaned in to catch her mouth with his. She could feel his hand brush against the curve of her hip, drop down to cup her ass, drawing her closer as she parted her lips against his. It was a kiss like others she'd known with him, but only from the last few weeks. There was a heat between them, a slow simmering burn that she couldn't deny. And every time he touched her it was like he was desperate to reassure himself she was really there. But she was rediscovering everything about him and he already knew just where she wanted to be touched.

She pulled back to catch her breath and he dipped his head, their foreheads pressing together as he stroked his hand up her back. Her eyes had fallen shut and she lingered there a moment before lifting the veil of her lashes to look up at him, carefully easing away. She pressed her lips together, the taste of Dom still lingering on her tongue as she reached out to snag his hand with hers. There wasn't anything for her to find here, at least in regards to memories. She needed to keep her eyes in front of her. On the man standing before her. And on her future.

"Come on," she said, tugging at his arm. "Let's take a drive before dinner."

"Any destination in mind?" he asked, following her out of the garage, reaching back to yank the door tightly shut behind him.

"You can drive wherever," she replied, smiling at him. "So long as I eventually get my tacos."

Grinning Dom leaned in to catch her in a quick kiss before releasing her hand, moving around to unlock the car. She buckled up and they pulled out, leaving the hilly side streets to hit the open road, where he could kick the car into higher speeds. Letty rolled down her window and let the wind tug at her hair, watched the scenery move by as they drove down the winding highway. She could see the hills rising in the distance over the retaining wall, houses perched up there amongst the green. Turning her head she watched Dom as he drove, his eyes trained on the road, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift between them.

She studied his profile, wondering how different he might look from the last time they'd seen each other.

A small smile tugged at his lips. "I can see you staring, you know?"

"I know," she replied, unabashed. "It's not a problem, is it?"

"No," Dom glanced over at her. "Something on your mind?"

Letty sighed, rolling up the window to quiet the wind rushing past the car. "Seems there always is," she said softly. "It's like my head's full of questions I don't have the answers to."

He reached out, caught her hand with his. "You don't need to have all the answers, Letty."

"I'm trying to remember that," she replied, twining their fingers together. His hand was so much bigger than hers.

"You'll find them," he told her. "Even if it's discovering them all over again."

He sounded so confident that she couldn't help but feel it too. She met his smile with one of her own, before releasing his hand so he could shift down a gear and get off the highway. They took the side streets out towards Southeast LA, Letty adding the path to the map she was building in her mind. Here the businesses gave way to apartments and houses crammed together, until they came across a little market right on the border of Huntington Park. At one end of the wide parking lot a small stand with a walk-up window, tables and chairs scattered under a sunshade. Most of them were full of people already as they pulled up to park.

They ordered food and a couple of beers and settled down together at one of the empty tables, watching the sun burst orange over the horizon as it sank lower in the sky. People around them were talking, in Spanish, English, a mixture of both. The smell of roast pork and spices wafted from the grill behind the tiny stand. Letty looked over at Dom, who was watching her now and paused, mid-bite of her taco to shoot him a questioning glance.

Taking a sip of beer to wash down the food she sat back in her chair. "Now who's staring?" she asked. "Something on your mind?"

"Not really," he said. "Just looking at you. Right now."

Letty smiled over at him, relaxing in her seat. They ate their tacos and talked cars, made tentative plans for the weekend. It was easy to talk, about nothing in particular, about stuff they'd done in the last years they'd been apart. They took their beers and walked across the street as the last of the sunlight disappeared from the sky. The light pollution and the haze of smog hanging over the city made it near impossible to see the stars, but the moon was bright and round and hung above the city, washing the things below in a silvery light. Letty perched on the guardrail along the side of the road, looked down on LA as the city lights winked on to cut through the darkness. Dom was a warm presence beside her, his arm brushing hers as he sat before he lifted it to wrap around her shoulders. She leaned into him as the breeze washing in from the shore ruffled at her hair. It felt good… peaceful, right. Even if she didn't remember, or couldn't explain all the parts of why she belonged here. She still felt like she did.

Every day, making new memories, just like this one.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Okay guys, here's the third chapter! This one is cute and a bit light. A bit of Letty/Jack interaction here. Some discussion about family. Not too heavy. Still pretty optimistic. I have to thank karikocha for her help with this chapter! Couldn't have done it without her help. Thanks for following and reading guys! I hope you enjoy.

**Week Four – Year One**

Letty was stretched out on the couch, debating between taking a quick nap or making herself some coffee when Mia wandered into the room.

"Hey," her friend said, tucking her car keys into the purse she had slung over her shoulder. "I really need to run to the bank and get gas in my car. Would you mind watching Jack for me?"

She sat up, frowning at the other woman. "Mi are you serious? I don't know anything about kids."

"He just went down for his nap," Mia went on, locating her cell phone on top of one of the shelves. "He should sleep till Brian and Dom get back from the store. It's no big deal, honestly."

"Mia…" she began to protest.

"If he wakes up he'll let you know what he wants. You don't need to know anything special, I promise." She smiled. "Please, I just really need to get out of the house and run some errands without dragging him around and waking him from his nap."

"Fine, fine," Letty finally relented, waving the other woman away. "Get out of here before I change my mind then."

"You're the best!" Mia called as she went out the door.

"You'd better just hope I don't break your kid," Letty muttered in return, flopping back on the old couch for long moments.

After about five minutes she let out a sigh and pushed herself to her feet. Might as well grab that coffee… she didn't imagine she'd be able to catch a nap now.

She was settling down on the couch with a steaming cup, thinking she might just make it till the boys got back, or maybe even Mia, when a little voice drifted down the stairs.

"Maaaaaaaaaamaa!" she heard, and took one longing look at her untouched coffee before standing.

She took the steps two at a time, pushing open the door to Jack's room, which Mia had left ajar. He was standing up in his crib, room dim and shades pulled shut. His chubby hands held to the railing, keeping him up as he blinked over at her. Probably confused as hell.

"Yeah, kid, I dunno what I'm doing here either," she murmured, coming to stand in front of him. But it seemed Jack wasn't shy, releasing the edge of the crib with one hand to grab at her, wobbling on his feet. He was crawling these days, but not yet standing on his own and she had to admit she kind of liked watching him explore the world around him.

He was a cute kid, taking mostly after Brian with all that blonde hair and pale complexion. But his big baby eyes were the same dark color as Mia's.

Sighing, Letty lifted him from the crib. Mia had foisted him off on her sometimes in the kitchen, but she'd never been left alone with him.

"I don't think you finished your nap there, Jack," she said, settling him against her hip. "Why are you awake?"

He only grinned at her before shoving one of his chubby hands into his mouth and Letty shook her head. "Charming," she said, but couldn't help but laugh. "Well… thank god it doesn't seem like you need your diaper changed, so let's head downstairs and see if you get sleepy again."

Jack seemed okay with this because even though he didn't say anything… she was pretty sure Mama and Dada was the extent of his vocabulary these days, he babbled at her from around the hand still jammed in his mouth.

Once downstairs she set him down on the living room floor and went to the basket of baby toys Mia kept stashed down there. Jack crawled after her, diaper rustling as he scooted hurriedly across the carpet and she turned to look down at him.

"Hey Jack you want one of your toys?" she asked, flipping open the top of the basket. "How about one of your cars eh?" she asked, grinning at him as she reached for the little black Charger. Brian would kill her if he saw that, but she knew which one was the better car.

Jack was already pulling himself to his feet, little fingers digging into her jeans and hauling his butt up off floor. Head tilted back he looked up at her, hands grabbing at her pants and tugging. Arching a dark brow, Letty leaned down to offer him the car.

"Here you go."

Jack's little fingers closed around the toy as he looked at it curiously, plopping back heavily on his diapered butt and releasing her from his grasp. He shook it in the air, bouncing excitedly as he babbled and she laughed, shaking her head.

"Yeah, you got plenty of time to learn how that works, kiddo. But it's pretty cool isn't it?"

There was something refreshing about spending time with the baby. She knew he hadn't been a part of her life before she'd lost her memories. So they were both getting to know each other for the first time. He couldn't exactly expect her to be a certain way, or remember certain things, after all. Interrupting her thoughts, Jack tugged at her pant leg once again and Letty crouched down in front of him. He held out the car to her and she took it.

"Don't you want to play?" she asked, but he was reaching for her with both hands. She'd seen him do that before. Usually when he wanted to be picked up.

Setting the toy on the coffee table, Letty reached out to lift him into her arms. Jack snuggled easily against her, and she had to marvel for a moment that this little person wasn't wary of her. Up until a month ago she hadn't even been a part of his life. But she supposed when your life was less than a year, a month was a pretty good chunk of time. Curling one arm against his little back she stood.

"You ready to go back up to bed?" she asked, but Jack had a strong grip on her shirt and she was going to bet he wouldn't be letting go anytime soon. "Okay… so clingy-mode it is." Letty sighed and circled around to the couch. "How about we take a little rest on the couch here and see if you start to get ready for that nap…"

Settling down on the cushions, she rearranged Jack on her lap and reached for one of the auto magazines scattered across the coffee table. Sunlight was filtering in through the front window, and the baby turned his head away, burrowing his face against her shoulder before settling down. She glanced down at the top of his head, covered in feathery soft blond baby hair and smirked.

"Don't drool on Tia Letty, okay?" she murmured, flipping the magazine open with one hand. How Mia did this one-handed shit all the time, she had no idea.

She was halfway through an article about the benefits of engine modding, with the heavy weight of a sleeping child against her chest, when she heard the back door open. With any luck it was Mia and she'd know how to extricate her from the situation without waking Jack.

It was Dom who appeared in the doorway, a look of amusement and something else in his eyes. She couldn't say why but it made her want to squirm. Instead she narrowed her eyes at him and motioned for him to stay quiet when he went to open his mouth. They just stared at one another till Brian appeared beside him. "Dom you're slacking on putting away the groceries…"

A grin stretched his face as he looked over at her, but Letty shot him a pleading look and Brian laughed, shoving a paper bag into Dom's hands. He crossed the distance to her, leaning down to gather the sleeping baby, who had drooled on her shoulder a little, up in his arms. Jack stirred, but snuggled back down in his father's arms, not waking.

"Seems like you're a natural," he teased.

Letty scoffed, wiping baby spit off her skin and standing up to stretch out all the muscles that had been stuck in one position too long.

"Hardly," she muttered. "I just let him fall asleep on me."

"Well you have practice there. Isn't that what you do with Dom?" Brian asked, then hurried to escape the other man's dark look and her laughter.

When he disappeared upstairs, Letty followed Dom back into the kitchen to help him put away the bags of groceries he and Brian had hauled in. For the most part she'd learned where everything went, but Dom picked up the slack where she didn't.

"Where'd Mia go?" he asked.

"Run some errands… bank, fill the car with gas." She chuckled. "Honestly I think she just wanted to get out for a while. Can't blame her. That Mom gig is pretty demanding."

"She's good at it though," he said, closing the fridge as he turned to look at her.

"She's a great mom," she agreed. "And Jack's a cute kid." She snagged the beer he'd popped the top off of from his hands and took a swig before passing it back, grinning unabashedly. "What did you do when you found out?"

Dom laughed. "We were in Rio at the time…" he began, taking the Corona back from her. "On the run. Cops shooting at us. Jumping off roofs." His hand drifted up to his neck, as if looking for something that wasn't there and he frowned before taking a long drink of the beer. "I thought it was safer for us to split up. I thought I could take most of the heat off of them. But Mia insisted we stay together. That's when she told us."

Letty laughed. "Pregnant and on the run. It's hard to picture her that way. She seems…" she trailed off. "Just like any other mom."

"She's got a bit of a wild streak. But Mia's always been the responsible one," he agreed, leaning his hip against the counter.

She came to stand beside him, close enough so their arms pressed against each other. Like in his space was where she always belonged. He passed her the bottle before setting his hand against her hip, arm brushing her back so that she leaned into it, let out a small sigh.

"I don't remember…" she said softly. "That wild streak, or… anything about her. But I feel like we were friends for a long time. I feel like… she's been taking care of this crazy family for a long time."

"That's about right," he agreed, chuckling. "I guess she was ready for motherhood before Jack came along."

Laughing, Letty shook her head. "Well I don't know but something tells me it's a little bit different." She leaned her head against his shoulder, tilting the bottle at her lips until the Corona washed across her tongue.

"Maybe a little," Dom admitted with a grin. "Jack doesn't drink as much beer."

She laughed, shaking her head. It was nice, to feel part of a family, even though it was frustrating to not remember them from before. To have to learn about them through second-hand stories, and things she should have… would have been a part of if she could have. But then there was Jack… who reached out to her without a second thought. Who'd innocently welcomed her into his life. Maybe she'd lost some of who she had been. But she'd certainly gained just as much by coming home again.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Okay guys, this one came to me pretty quick. It's not a super long chapter. Heavily focuses on Letty/Mia interaction here. It always bothered me that they got nothing together in 6 or 7. They have known each other a long time. As the only two girls growing up in a sea of men, you'd think they'd have a bond of friendship. Anyway, I like to think that they do, we just don't get to see it. Thanks again for all the reviews and follows and faves guys, it really makes me happy to know people are enjoying.

**Week Seven – Year One**

It was the traditional Sunday barbeque. Or at least it would be, later in the afternoon when the others arrived. A couple months back home would have already clued her into the fact that this happened weekly without fail, even if Mia hadn't explained it their first week back.

She could admit that she looked forward to the gatherings. Getting to know Roman and Tej was easy. She'd never met them before and the only things they knew about her was what they'd been told. They knew she was important to Dom, and that had been enough for them to drop everything and go to London to help get her back. Plus they were a riot together, always bantering back and forth and giving each other hell. Their presence definitely brought laughter to the party.

Earlier in the morning the boys had been out back setting up the smoker with the huge side of pork Mia had brought home from the market the day before. It would have to smoke for hours, so they'd gotten an early start. And now they were outside with beers 'monitoring it', which left the girls in the kitchen chopping vegetables and seeing to the rest of the feast.

Peppers, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, spices and a squeeze of lime went into the fresh salsa they made, mixed into a bowl and covered and set into the fridge so the flavors could mingle. Mia had set the black beans out to soak the night before and was checking through them for bad ones.

"Can you get out the empanada press?" Mia asked over her shoulder, then nodded to one of the cabinets down below. "Left of the fridge."

Letty got out what she guessed Mia was talking about, a round metal disc that folded in half. She set it on the counter top. "What the hell are we making, Mi?"

"Pastelillos," the other woman replied, with a grin, then subsided at her friend's blank look. "I'll show you how. From that cupboard above the toaster can you get out the flour, baking powder and salt?"

Letty got those items out, then placed them on the counter as Mia brought over the food processor. They mixed up the ingredients with some shortening before transferring the mix to a bowl. Eggs and a bit of water went in until it became a dough, and Mia showed her how to knead it with her hands. They rolled the dough into balls and left it to rest and Mia gathered a frying pan and some more ingredients from the fridge.

"This is for the savory filling. The sweet ones will have guava paste and cream cheese but we don't have to do anything to that," Mia explained.

Diced onions, garlic and peppers went into the pan along with some olive oil. Mia seemed a natural in the kitchen, chopping up the beef tips she'd gotten from the local butcher as Letty stirred the vegetables.

"You're so good at all this," Letty said. "How did you learn?"

"My Dad, a bit," Mia admitted, smiling over at her. "Since my mom died when I was pretty young. He had to cook for Dom and I. And when I got old enough… I just took over." She shrugged. "But I mean, you're a good cook too."

"Yeah right," Letty muttered.

"No it's true," Mia protested. "You taught me how to make these. They're Dom's favorites." She laughed at the look on her friend's face. "Just because you can't remember the recipe doesn't mean you can't do it."

"But it sucks not to remember," Letty replied, suddenly angry at it all. It wasn't fair. She didn't even know who that person was. That person she was supposed to be. "To not… know this. To not remember growing up with you. To not remember first meeting Dom and falling in love with him." She closed her eyes, shoulders hunched. "Fuck… I'm sorry Mi. I just… It's hard sometimes. To pretend that it's always okay."

"I can't imagine," Mia replied softly, leaning over to turn off the heat so the food wouldn't burn, resting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "It must be so frustrating for you. And feel like… we have such an advantage. All this knowledge that you don't. Maybe you don't even feel like that Letty anymore. And well… that's okay too," she added.

"It is?" Letty asked, looking at her in mild disbelief.

"It's not that we don't wish you could remember," Mia explained. "Because we do. Just like you do, I imagine. But the reality is that you're different now even if you did remember all of what you had before. You've had other life experiences. And so are we. We're all different from the last time we saw each other. People change."

"That's true, Mi… but it's not the same."

"No, you're right," the younger Toretto nodded, leaning against the counter. "We grew since the past that we can remember. You only have a few years in that head of yours. I can't imagine what it must be like. But you've always been a survivor. It's why you're still…you even if you can't remember. You still drive the same way, laugh at the same jokes. Prefer the same beer, the same kind of cars, and the same kind of clothes." She elbowed her teasingly. "The same kind of men."

"Ha ha…" Letty couldn't help but smile though. "So you're saying that… even without the memories, I'm still me."

"Basically. Which is why these pastelillos are going to taste amazing." Mia grinned at her.

"Right," she rolled her eyes, but turned the burner back on, bringing the vegetable mix up to heat as Mia seasoned the beef with a generous amount of adobo before adding it to the pan. Diced potatoes, olives and more spices followed.

They added a bit of water and covered the pan to let the mix simmer, tidying up the mess from earlier.

"Are you serious that I taught you this?" Letty finally asked, glancing at her friend. "It seems like you've always done all the cooking around here."

"Well I mean the boys have never been fun to cook for," Mia replied with a laugh. "When they were younger… it was always shoving food in their mouths without tasting a damn thing and leaving the dishes for me to clean." She smirked. "So you weren't really interested in putting in the effort and I was used to taking care of everyone. But…" She shrugged. "Usually on the weekends you'd come in here and help me out with everything. Sometimes I could wheedle one of your grandmother's recipes out of you, if you were feeling generous."

"Sorry I can't remember any more of them," Letty said as they tossed together a fruit salad with pineapples, mango and berries.

"Actually you have her old recipe book out in the garage… in that box with some of your things. You should check it out sometime."

"You mean you haven't?" Letty asked, shooting her friend a teasing grin as she popped a strawberry into her mouth.

"Maybe a peek," the other woman admitted.

When the salad went into the fridge, the meat and potato mixture was ready to come off the stove. They set it aside to cool a bit as Mia floured the counter and rolled out the first of the balls of dough.

"You don't want it too thick," she explained, then reached out to swipe a flour-covered finger across Letty's cheek.

"Hey!" Laughing, she scooped up a handful of the white powder and a brief flour battle ensued, the kitchen filling with laughter and Mia's repeated threats to make her scrub the walls.

When they had made more than a bit of a mess, flour in their hair and coating their clothes, they called a truce to finish the food. Cutting and filling the pastelillos was fast with the little empanada press.

"You knew how to do it by hand… but I was so terrible at it," Mia laughed. "So I invested in this."

She warmed up the fryer as Letty got to work on the next batch of dough for the dessert pastries, which they lined up on a parchment covered tray and stored in the fridge till later. They'd be better still warm on the inside.

Mia was halfway through frying the little pastries when they heard the first car rumble into the drive. It was probably Tej, since Roman always tended to be a bit late. Letty started the black beans and rice on the stovetop and got out the corn for the grill just as the back door swung open. Brian, Jack against his hip, paused as he surveyed the scene in the kitchen.

"Let me guess…" he began. "A deadly flour bomb went off?"

"Something like that," Letty replied, laughing. "Also known as your wife."

"Hey," Mia protested. "You can't blame that all on me."

"You definitely started it." She laughed harder when Mia stuck her tongue out at her. "Very mature."

Shaking his head at them, Brian moved through the chaos of the kitchen to get some beers from the fridge. "Tej is here," he said, popping the tops while trying to keep the bottles out of Jack's reach.

"We'll be out shortly," Mia said. "Once I set the timer on the rice and…. We get cleaned up." She chuckled, dusting uselessly at some flour coating her skirt.

Taking the last of the pastries from the fryer, Mia set them out on paper towels to rest and turned off the heat. She turned to Letty and they eyed one another for a long moment before they burst out laughing again. Brian was muttering about crazy women as he disappeared back through the door.

As the two women headed upstairs to wash up and change, Letty tugged her friend's arm before they could part ways at the top of the stairs. "Hey Mia…?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," she said. "For teaching me how to make those."

Mia smiled, leaning over to wrap her arms around her in a hug. "No problem. You know I'm more than happy to share lots more memories with you. You're my best friend."

Letty watched her retreat to the bedroom she shared with Brian and wondered why it felt so natural to hear the other woman call her that. Even though she couldn't remember all the things that bound them together in that friendship. She still believed that it was real anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Hey guys. Finals are fast approaching so I may be a bit slow at writing for a while, but I'm still percolating plenty of ideas. This chapter deals with Letty's first visit to the cemetery as she mentions in the film. It's a bit serious and sad, but ends on a lighter note. I have planned a sexy chapter soon as well as some with some of the others. Enjoy and thanks for all the follows and faves!

**Week Ten – Year One**

It had been a beautiful, sunny day in Los Angeles, as it nearly almost seemed to be. So even as the sun began to set, night falling over the city, the warmth still lingered in the air, soaking up from the pavement and battling against the breeze that came up off the coast. She'd talked Dom into taking her out to the cemetery, even though she knew he didn't really like the whole idea.

But she had to come and see it with her own eyes. There was something about knowing that people who loved her had buried her… and mourned for her. But it was still such an abstract knowledge. Almost like the knowledge that she was Letty Ortiz. Born in 1983, raised in LA. Grown up in a tough neighborhood, always scrappy and full of fight. Her Dad had died before she was ten and her mother, a struggling alcoholic, had barely managed enough parenting to keep Letty from getting taken away.

All these things that she knew only because Dom had told her. Because he knew every little bit about her. Each scar, tiny, large, in between. The physical and the emotional. All the little hurts and pains and joys that his Letty… _his_, had shared with him. But she couldn't remember a single one of them.

She rolled the window down, gazing out at the scenery that flashed by as they drove through town towards the cemetery. Here the street lights didn't shine as brightly and more trees punctuated the grassy space. Still, she could see the silhouettes of stones between them and a small ball of dread settled in her belly.

Dom looked over at her. "You sure about this?" he asked. She could tell he was unhappy, but he didn't argue with her. He never really seemed to argue with her. She wondered if it was because she couldn't remember things. If he was just trying to be patient with her. She could only imagine that he must not have always been so laid back. Mia had told her they'd used to fight.

"I'm sure," she said, offering him a smile. "It's something I think I need to do."

He drove through the wrought iron gates that still sat open, taking a turn down one of the paths. It was like he'd been here before, more than once. Even though she knew that he hadn't been around when she'd 'died', and that after that he'd been basically on the run. Somehow he'd found the time. The thought tightened her chest and she looked over at him as he pulled up alongside one of the small hilly areas and shifted the car into park.

Letty opened the door and stepped out into the night air. It had gotten a little cooler, but she didn't feel the need to reach back in the car and get her jacket. She heard Dom's door open and close and he soon came around to stand beside her.

"This way," he said, then started up the grassy slope.

Tucking her hands into her pockets she followed him. The stone he'd come to a stop in front of was large and polished to a shine. She could see her name, which dominated the top half. She was struck with the absurd urge to laugh. She was standing here… in front of her own grave. It was ridiculous. It shouldn't have been funny.

People had mourned her. Someone else was buried here… with her name and her tombstone above them. She brushed her fingertips over the stone. Daughter… sister… friend, it read. She knew her father was dead. So whose daughter was she really? Her mother's? She didn't have siblings either. She stared at it. Did she?

"I have a brother or sister you forgot to mention?" she asked, glancing up at Dom.

"No," he answered. "Mia was the one who told them what to put. She always thought of you as her sister…" he trailed off. "I couldn't be here to take care of anything. She had to do it alone."

"It was nice of her to…" she trailed off, chuckled. "Not many people get to thank their friends for organizing a nice funeral."

"Let… that's not funny," he said.

"But it is," she replied, glancing at him. "I'm not dead. And I'm standing here… on my grave." It had to be funny because what else could it be? Terribly upsetting.

She looked at the date of her supposed "death", trying to think back to what he could recall from the year. Waking up in that hospital… Shaw. She furrowed her brows and looked away. Nothing before it. Not a thing. Just… emptiness.

"Is someone buried there?" She wondered, looking down at the neatly-trimmed glass.

"Whatever remains they recovered from the crash site," Dom explained. "The car set on fire so… they weren't exactly identifiable. Mia just ID'd them cause your dog tags were on site. The ones that used to belong to your Dad."

"I remember seeing them in my box of stuff in the garage…" she murmured. "No wonder they were all charred and half-melted."

They stood together in silence for a moment, just staring at the stone, thinking wildly different thoughts, no doubt. Letty looked up in surprise when she felt Dom's hand close around hers, lacing their fingers together to hold on. As if he was afraid she might disappear. As if reassuring himself that she really was alive and standing next to him.

It hit her how hard this must be. How much pain this place must cause him. Even after having her back, wasn't it just a reminder of everything they'd lost? Frowning, she tugged at his hand and turned away.

"Let's get out of here," she said.

"Wait." He held still, pulling her back to his side gently. "I want to show you something else."

"Here?" she asked, lifting a brow, but she subsided, following him as he walked between the stones a short distance away.

Just diagonal from where her own headstone sat… now that was a strange thought, Dom stopped before an older pair. Letty came up alongside him, dark eyes sliding over the names there. Jack and Luz Toretto. Born just years apart, but more than a decade between their deaths. _Beloved wife and mother… God guide her to a place where she will no longer suffer, _the words etched into the more weathered of the stones read. She'd never even met the woman, who'd died before she'd come into Dom and Mia's life. The younger Toretto didn't remember much about her either, and though Dom had his own fond memories and feelings, she could imagine that they were as unclear as the knowledge she had of her past. Where what she knew was viewed through someone else's eyes, his memories were half blurred and rosy from youth, the woman unchanged in his memory even as he was likely leagues away from that boy who'd been tucked into bed and sung lullabies.

"Your parents," she murmured, and it was her turn to reach for his hand, wrapping her fingers around that big palm and holding on.

"I guess you don't remember my Dad," he replied, letting out a soft sigh.

She shook her head, knowing that it bothered him more than he let on, that she couldn't remember things. Couldn't remember their history together, the things that were important to him. He claimed it didn't matter and even though he never put any pressure on her, she couldn't help knowing that it did matter.

"You've told me some," she said instead, leaning her head against his arm. "Tell me more."

"He always had this… presence," he began, his voice almost a raspy whisper of sound in the air between them. "He was the glue of our family. Me and Mia, Vince… when he was a kid he practically lived at our place, trying to get away from a bad situation at home. And then later you were there too. The whole neighborhood would turn out for his barbeques."

Letty smiled, picturing the man she'd seen in the photos in the old garage. That familiar feeling of family… like the barbeques Dom and Mia still insisted on every Sunday. Now little Jack was growing up with that very same tradition. Some part of the grandfather he'd never know, but who lived on through his mother and his uncle.

"He used to have this ability. He'd talk and everyone would listen. It was like you couldn't help but do what he wanted you to do. You wanted to make him proud. No one could stand to disappoint Dad." He chuckled. "Even Vince fell in line."

"Sounds like you," she said, nudging his arm gently. A smile tugged at her lips as he looked at her in surprise. "No, come on. Everyone else that knows you would agree," she explained, lacing her fingers through his and pulling him away from the tombstones, from the sad memories and regrets. "Your Dad is still here, Dom because he lives on in you and in Mia. Those things you talk about… those traditions, that presence?" She looked up at him. "Maybe I can't remember them in him but I can see them in you."

Something about that statement made him smile, even as it gave her a little hope too. She was finding out things about these people, their lives and histories and hopes and dreams and feelings. And she didn't need memories to learn them. It was real, here and now. Not some past, or some name on a tombstone.

"Come on," she grinned up at him. "Let's get out of here. Do something that makes us feel alive."

He laughed, wrapping his big arm around her. "Like what?"

She held out her hand, palm up. "Can I drive?" she asked, lips curled in a secretive smile.

Sighing, Dom dropped the keys into her hand. "You know I hate surprises," he complained as she led the way back to the car.

"This is the best kind of surprise," she replied, a wicked glint in those dark eyes.

"Well… when you put it that way," he opened the passenger door and slid in.

Her laughter filled the still air of the night around them as the car rumbled to life, the rev of the engine drowning out the sorrow of this place as they left it behind, took the winding paths back out towards the main roads where streetlights washed the pavement and people milled the sidewalks. A beautiful summer night to leave the windows down and just drive. To breathe in the air and remember what it felt like to be alive and free. The kind of moments she'd rarely, if ever had when she was running with Shaw and his crew.

Dom leaned over, his big hand closing over her thigh. The warm pressure pulled Letty from her thoughts to smile over at him. His presence was a comfort she hadn't known she'd been missing in the years they'd been apart. That when she'd felt alone and empty… it hadn't just been because she couldn't remember anything. But because he wasn't at her side.

"Trying to distract me?" she asked, grinning over at him.

He squeezed her leg with a laugh. "Always have been."

"I'm guessing you've been more than a little successful in the past."

"Sometimes," he agreed. "But you've always been sure of your own mind."

"So then I must have _let_ you distract me," she replied, amusement in her voice.

"You going to let me distract you now?" Dom asked.

"Be patient," she scolded. "Unless you want to crash." But she was laughing when she pulled off the road to take the darkened path down to the private beach.

Dom had her in his lap about the same time she got the car into park and she grinned against his mouth, wrapping her arms around him.

"Feeling alive yet?" he asked when he drew back and she framed his face with her hands.

"Definitely," she answered. Thoughts of cemeteries and death were far from her mind. There was only right now, here, just the two of them. And that was all that mattered.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Hey guys! So people really wanted a Brian and Letty chapter, so here it is. It is VERY dialogue heavy, in fact most of it is just really them talking. That's pretty much how I roll anyway, but this is more than the rest. Hopefully you enjoy it. I really love their friendship and I'm glad that I still get to explore it on paper. Thanks again so much for the reviews, follows and favorites. I'm very glad people are enjoying my little story.

**Week Sixteen – Year One**

It was a lazy weekday afternoon that found her at the auto supply store with Brian. He needed a new muffler for his car and had invited her along. It was nice to get out of the house. To just take a drive somewhere with no expectations of remembering something. Of seeing a place she'd been before. Shops like these were almost the same everywhere and this was a familiarity she could recall.

She was lost in thought, staring at some ridiculous rims displayed behind glass when Brian came up behind her.

"Thinking about those for the Jensen?"

Letty laughed, shaking her head. "Nah, come on." Glancing in his direction she began to mill down the long aisle. "You find what you need?"

"Guy's holding it at the front. Want to look at anything else?"

She shook her head, glancing around. It was a nice store, with a variety of specialty parts. Plus if they didn't have something, you could always put in an order.

"I used to work here," Brian said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Sort of."

"How can you 'sort of' work somewhere?" she asked.

"Well I was undercover, trying to find out who was jacking trucks. We knew it was someone involved in the street racing scene here in LA…"

"Oh, you mean trying to find us?" She nodded. It was a story that she'd been told before. Brian had come to LA to catch them, but he'd fallen for Mia. Maybe he'd fallen for the rest of their weird little family too. "Why didn't you hand us over to the cops? Didn't you have the opportunity?"

"Maybe," he agreed. "Dom was still in town because of Jesse. After our race he wrecked the Charger. I could have called the cops on him, or let them just take him away. Instead I gave him the keys to my ride. Let him go."

"But why?" she asked. "Was it because of Mia?"

He was quiet for a moment, thoughtful.

"No," he paused. "I mean… a little but in the end it was about family, Letty. I never really had one growing up. You guys made me a part of yours."

"Even though we probably shouldn't have," she chuckled. "Mr. Undercover."

"In hindsight I am really surprised how welcomed I was. But Dom and I bonded over me saving him from the police and over some bullshit with Tran…"

"Wouldn't be the last time you broke the law for him," she commented, fixing him with a grin. "You sure it's not Dom that you really like?"

The teasing was easy between them, because they both knew it for what it was. The two men were close, a brotherly bond that transcended blood ties.

"With us it just comes back to family," Brian replied, leaning against the counter while the cashier rung him up. "Even if that means making our own."

"Then you married his sister and actually became family," Letty remarked, watching him pass over his credit card to be swiped.

"Yeah, though we were before that. A ceremony and a piece of paper don't make or break that."

"What about memories"?" she asked, going out to the parking lot with him. She'd driven, out of deference to his horrendously noisy broken muffler, and she unlocked the car so they could get in.

Looking over, Brian fixed her with a serious expression. "Do you think it makes you any less a part of this family because you don't have your memories?" he asked. "Is that what this is about?"

"I don't think you guys feel that way…but," she trailed off. "Isn't that what ties us together? Shared experiences? We're not related by blood or bound in some legal way. We're tied by history. And me? I don't have any of that."

"I didn't realize it bothered you so much," he said. "Did you tell Dom?"

"I can't," she sighed. "He's so patient and so…" she fell silent. "I do love him. But it's almost like an echo. It's not what he deserves."

"Your memories could still come back," he offered.

"They could. Or they could never come back."

"That doesn't mean they didn't happen, Letty." Brian looked at her in concern.

"To me they might as well not have," she replied, irritation in her voice. "Everything is just like a second-hand story. Like it happened to someone else."

"So if you never remember then what do you do? Start over? Do you think it would be better somewhere else? With people who don't love you?"

"No." She blew out a breath, shifting the car into gear to pull out of the lot finally. "This is where I want to be. I'm just… frustrated. I feel like I'm letting you guys down. Every day I can't remember feels like a disappointment. I can't share all those things with you guys. All the years I'd been with Dom…"

"So what?" Brian asked. "You have new memories already. And you'll make more. Dom knows what it's like to live only with memories, Let." He rubbed a hand over his face. "Honestly a lot of times after your supposed death… I dunno. I thought he wanted to give up. Like he'd just get quiet and stare off and it was like he was lost. Like he didn't know what to do without you."

She glanced at him briefly. "But he said he was the one that left. Why would he do that if he needed me?"

"He needed you alive." Brian shrugged. "Misplaced sense of protectiveness. Pure stupidity. You never were the type to sit quietly on the sidelines."

"Didn't he know that?"

"What he knew and what he wanted to be true were two different things. I don't know… you should talk to him about this. Even after… when things were really bad he never opened up to anyone. Not me, not even Mia. He just does this thing where he locks all the pain inside."

"He still does that," she murmured. "But I can always tell."

"See?" he laughed. "You don't need memories to know him. To see him better than anyone else."

She fell silent, thoughts wandering as she took the familiar roads back home. Was she giving herself too little credit? Did she need all that missing history to know Dom? To know any of them?

"You guys never talked about any of it?" she asked, glancing over at him dubiously.

"I knew he was hurting, and I knew it was because you were gone. But we didn't like… sit down and talk about it. We went after Braga and his guys. I think he just needed someone to blame because he blamed himself…" he sighed. "I didn't help much on that front."

"What do you mean?"

"We fought. He found the cell phone you'd been using to contact me while you were undercover. It was in your box of things. He got pissed because I was the one who'd put you into that dangerous situation. And well… I felt guilty about it too."

"Brian…" she looked at him. "We talked about this."

"And you were right," he agreed. "You came to me. I told him that. You did it to clear his name and bring him home." He sighed. "I couldn't have hurt him more if I'd stabbed him through the heart."

"He left… and I was trying to bring him back home," she murmured. "I can see why he'd blame himself."

"He learned a lot of things from losing you," Brian answered. "It's fucked up… but it's the truth." He shook his head. "I remember when you first came to me about helping with the Braga situation. He needed drivers. Somehow, you knew." He laughed. "I told you no at first."

"What changed your mind?"

"You did. You were determined and you really wanted to clear Dom's name. I thought… maybe it would work." Shrugging he tugged a hand through his hair. "You'd surprised me though. We hadn't seen each other in years. Hell… we'd basically been kids the last time. And you were a lot different. A lot more grown up."

"A lot more pissed off at Dom?" she smirked.

He laughed. "That too. But more than that you really loved him. I remember thinking he was a world-class idiot, to be honest. If someone loved me like that I'd never let go for a second."

"Not even if you thought you were protecting them?" she asked.

Silent for a moment, Brian frowned. "Well… Mia isn't like you, so it's hard to compare the situation. I would do anything to keep her safe. But she was there in the thick of things for a while at Rio. It couldn't really be helped."

"And you guys have Jack now, so that makes a difference," she agreed.

"Yeah he needs at least one of his parents," Brian said.

"Both would be ideal."

He laughed. "Hey, maybe things will be nice and calm for a while. We'll have time to get bored with a normal lifestyle."

"You think it will bore us?" Letty asked.

"I'm afraid of that sometimes," he admitted. "When I was a kid I was always getting into trouble. Boosting cars with Rome, off somewhere doing something I shouldn't be. I thought in the FBI I could turn my life around, but still keep some of that excitement, you know?" He laughed. "Chasing bad guys just like in the movies."

"Is the FBI really like that?" she wondered.

"To be honest, most of it is paperwork," he chuckled. "Not as glamorous as the life of a criminal."

"So you're just looking for your thrill, same as the rest of us." Letty grinned over at him.

"Yeah. Just need to figure out how to catch those thrills and still be a good family man. Still do right by Mia and Jack." He sat back in his seat. "Maybe I'll go skydiving or something. Want to come along?"

She laughed. "Sure, why not? I've done crazier things."

"That's for damn sure," Brian agreed as she turned off the highway towards the streets that would take them home. He reached over to lay his hand against her arm lightly. "And if you can do something like that, risk your life and jump into danger, then it isn't that unbelievable that you could do something as scary as put your faith in us, Letty. Even if you never remember. This is where you belong."

"Thanks Brian," she said, offering him a smile.

He was right. It was scary sometimes, to think that she might never get her memories back. But when she was here… with her family, well it didn't feel so scary. It felt right. And she was going to hold onto that.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry this took me so long. Finals are over, but smut always takes me forever to write. You'll find it in the second half of this chapter, so if you're not into that, feel free to skip. Rating has increased due to this chapter, please be aware. Thanks to Karikocha for her help with this chapter, in helping me to be more confident in my writing. I hope you all enjoy!

**Week Twenty-five, Year One**

They'd been out late, her and the boys. Down to an abandoned track Brian knew of where they'd taken turns putting their cars through the paces. Until it had inevitably come down to a challenge. Some point of pride between Brian and Dom. Something which seemed to be old news to Roman and Tej as they just shook their heads and sat back to watch.

Leaning back against Rome's car she glanced at the two men as Brian and Dom pulled up to the starting line they'd designated. "What's up with this?" she asked.

"Last time they raced," Tej explained. "Dom let Brian win. He really wants to prove he's faster."

"Is he?" she asked.

The other two shrugged. "I dunno. They're on pretty even footing these days, but I think Dom still might be a little faster," Tej answered.

"Letty!" Dom waved her over and she sighed, walking up between the two cars. "What?"

"Someone's gotta wave the starting flag," he said, shooting a grin at her.

She rolled her eyes. "You better be ready then," she warned before walking up alongside the track.

She climbed up to stand on the low wall that blocked off the old pit from the rest of the track.

"Get ready boys!" she called, laughing when Rome and Tej jeered behind her.

They were revving their engines, eyes fixed on her as she held up one arm.

"Go!" The cars tore off at the same second, and Letty stood to watch the two of them jockeying for the better position as they headed for the first turn.

"Brian's gonna lose," Tej was saying behind her.

"What makes you so sure?" Roman asked, coming up to get a better view.

"Please, Letty is here. Dom won't lose while she's watching."

She turned to arch a brow at him and he shrugged. "It's a guy thing," he explained.

"You know," she replied. "Usually I hear 'It's a guy thing' to explain something incredibly stupid. What exactly does that mean?"

Roman laughed. "Oh burn," he said.

"You're a guy too," Tej told him, rolling his eyes.

"Why wouldn't he try to win either way?" Letty asked.

"Well he would," Tej answered. "But now he'll try even harder."

Shaking her head, Letty turned back to watch Brian and Dom come speeding around the last turn. And as expected… Dom was in the lead.

Afterwards they decided to hit up a favorite local hangout for some conciliatory beers. When they pulled up Letty saw that the other cars parked out front or in the tiny lot all looked like they belonged to racers. She could only guess that this was someplace they'd been before. She tried not to be annoyed she didn't remember it.

Inside was full of the din of activity. A pretty blonde and a young Latino man with great arms were manning the bar, busy dolling out drinks to the steady flow of customers. In one corner a television playing some sort of tuner show featuring a chick who looked like the models you saw on car calendars. The pool table in the corner was occupied by a group of six, making bets as they attempted to hustle one another. They found an empty table and Brian, being the loser of the race, went up first to buy everyone a round.

Coronas in hand they shot shit for a while, Roman regaling them with stories of Brian in his younger days, until the two began a competition of trying to embarrass one another the most that just devolved into laughter for the rest of the table. Stories gave way to drinking games and bragging contests which Letty mostly just rolled her eyes at. And in the end the only real result was Tej confiscating Roman's keys as none of them trusted him to drive home.

They left the bar close to closing time and Letty had just enough drink in her to make her feel a little sleepy as she climbed into the passenger side of Dom's car. He was smiling over at her as she settled into her seat and she stifled the urge to squirm under his gaze.

"What?" she asked.

"Last time we were here," he said. "We ended up getting kicked out."

She laughed as he put the car into drive. "Why? What did you do?"

"Me?" he scoffed. "Oh no, it was definitely you."

She looked at him in surprise, then took a moment to admit… it wasn't really that shocking. It wasn't like she didn't have a temper. And she could sure as hell throw a punch. Why should any of that be different just because she couldn't remember it?

"What over?"

He shrugged. "Some asshole without any respect, too many drinks, and a mouth brain connection that lacked a filter."

Laughing, Letty looked out the window. "Sounds like he deserved it."

"Oh he did. But you know how it is in a bar… one punch gets thrown and soon everybody's in on it and no one knows why they're beating the shit out of the other guy with that barstool."

"A barstool?" She stifled another laugh.

"But the real clincher was probably breaking the owner's nose," he added, fixing her with a grin.

"And you found this amusing?" she asked.

He shrugged, pulling off the highway towards home. "Always knew you were more devil than angel baby," he answered. "You didn't need a man to defend you or fight your battles for you." He glanced at her. "You still don't."

She smiled at him. "That doesn't bother you." It didn't have to be a question.

"I always thought it was sexy. There's never been a lack of girls out there looking for their protector, someone to take care of them." He fell silent a moment. "With us… I was always the one that needed you."

She lifted her dark eyes to his in surprise before reaching over to close her hand over his on the gear shift. He lifted it to catch her fingers in his own, tugging her towards him. She smiled, lips a hairs breadth from his.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching the road?" she asked, brushing a kiss against the corner of his mouth.

"I can see the road," he replied, but broke into a laugh as she closed the distance between them, slipping into his lap.

"How about now?" she teased.

Letty was swept by the sudden feeling of déjà vu, as Dom wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, hand drifting down the line of her back to rest against her hip.

"Do you…" he started but she shook her head.

"I don't remember," she said softly, turning her head to press her lips against his throat. His hand tightened on her waist, then fell away to return to the gear shift as he turned down a side street. And she didn't remember, not really. But something about the moment felt familiar, and she couldn't help but hold onto that as they drove down the darkened roads.

Brian had beaten them back to his house and Dom pulled his car into the drive behind his. The kitchen light was on, but the rest of the house was dark. They sat there a moment, the car idling. Dom lifted his hands to cup her cheeks, fingers sweeping her hair away from her face as she leaned back in his lap to look at him. He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks and she smiled, lifting her hands to wind them around his wrists.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just thinking about old times," he answered.

"Think about right now," she murmured, leaning in to close the distance between them.

The kiss started slow and sweet, deepening as she angled her head and he pulled her closer. Letty wound her arms around his shoulders as he swept his palms down her back to hook his fingers under hips. Reaching out blindly she snagged the door handle and pulled as Dom broke the kiss for air. His breath feathered across her mouth, lips brushing her skin as he murmured her name, trailing a path down her throat to taste the way her pulse sped beneath her skin. She raked her nails down his back, fingers curling under the hem of his t-shirt to brush against his bare skin. Leaned back as he traced the line of her cleavage with his lips and tongue, back pressing into the steering wheel of the car.

"Dom." His name was lost on a sigh as he slid one hand up to cup her breast through the thin material of her top.

Her fingers slipped under the hem of his t-shirt, pressing against the smooth heat of his skin, tracing the ridged muscles of his abdomen. His stomach flexed beneath her touch, hips lifting off the seat of the car as the hand on her hip pressed her closer.

"Fuck," Letty muttered, arching her back to press her breast into the heat of his mouth. Clothes still in the way, the cramped confines of the car, it all frustrated her. She ground her hips down against his, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt and pulling him close for a hungry kiss. Her teeth scraped his lower lip, breath puffing out against his mouth.

"We need to get inside," she said, shifting in his lap so that she could push the car door open with her foot.

Dom stood, lifting her along with him, her legs locking around his waist as he hitched her up. He reached back with one hand to close the door before taking firmer hold of her again, lips mapping a path down her throat as he carried her up towards the back door.

It took them two tries to get it open, wrapped around one another, his arms full of her, laughter lost in their kisses, before they made it into the kitchen. He paused long enough to lock the door and yank it shut, neither of them stopping to flick off the light as he crossed the room in three long strides. On the stairs he stumbled once when she caught his ear between her teeth, her amusement muffled against his neck. He squeezed her ass, fingers dimpling the firm flesh in their grasp as she snagged the back of his shirt and tugged it up over his head. It was abandoned somewhere in the hallway before he carried her into the bedroom they often shared, nudging the door shut behind him.

They fell to the bed together, rolling until she rose up, straddling his waist and reaching for the hem of her shirt. She tossed it over her shoulder, pressing her palms flat against his chest to map the heat of his skin with her fingers. His dark eyes met hers, hands sliding up over her hips, the dip of her waist, fingers tracing the shape of her ribcage.

"Letty," he breathed, hands tangling in her hair to draw her down for a slow kiss. Words unspoken filled the heat between them. Words he wouldn't speak for fear of the pressure it might put on her. But she still felt every one of them in his gaze, in the way his hands swept over her body, or when he pulled her close at night.

He grazed his fingertips along the line of her back, releasing the catch of her bra and easing it off her shoulders. Moonlight and a tepid breeze fell through the open window, but the heat between them felt unbearable, sheening her bronzed skin with perspiration as she worked the closure of his jeans free and slipped her hands between them to take him in her palm.

His eyes rolled back in his head, hips lifting from the mattress and she smiled, reveling in the thrill of power. She rose up on her knees, his big hands unfastening her jeans and working snug pants and panties down over the curve" of her hips, revealing more of that skin to sight. Shifting off him she wriggled free of the denim as he kicked his own pants away, leaving them both bare to each other's gaze.

Letty grinned at the reverent way his eyes swept her. His big hands closed around her hips and he hauled her on top of him, skin pressing against skin. Her dark hair fell in a cloud around them as she grazed his jaw with her teeth before catching his mouth with hers once more. He brushed his knuckles along the backs of her thighs, pulling a shiver from her as he trailed his fingertips between her legs. She broke the kiss on a low moan, rising up above him as he wrapped his hands around her thighs and dragged her up his body to straddle his shoulders. She closed her eyes, feeling the heat of his breath feathering over her. The first slow sweep of his tongue had her clenching hands in the bedsheets, head thrown back and teeth biting hard into her lower lip to stifle the sounds that wanted to slip free.

His grip held her restless hips still, mouth, lips and teeth drawing pleasure through her until release swept over her, leaving trembles in its wake. Panting she let him roll them on the bed, locking her legs around his waist as he fitted their bodies close, poised above her. Her eyes met his and held as he slid inside her.

Her lashes fluttered shut as he began to move over her, bringing one hand up to clasp hers, fingers tangling together. He trailed his lips across her face, brushing over her cheeks before he turned her head into her shoulder, hot breath puffing out against her skin. Words murmured there were lost, muffled against her throat.

He swept his fingers through her hair, tilting back her head to brush his mouth over hers. "I love you." He breathed the words between them. Letty wrapped her arms around him and held on.

_I'll always love you._


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Sorry that I've been slow lately. I've been struggling to find the writing inspiration. I hope people are still reading and enjoying. I definitely am still trucking along and I have a layout planned for where this story is going to go. It helps a lot to know people are enjoying what they read. Your responses really inspire me to keep going!

This chapter is with Mia and Letty. It's a bit of a lower mood than the last one since I imagine over time Letty would be getting more frustrated with her lack of memory.

**Week Thirty-Three, Year One**

It was a place just up the street. It looked like any other house on the block. In need of a fresh coat of paint. Fading under the California sun, front lawn browning in the summer heat.

She stood on the cracked sidewalk, hands tucked into her jean pockets. Tried to remember something, anything about it. Had she rode her bike up and down the drive? Run through the front door letting the screen slam shut behind her? Had she stood with Dom on the porch? Snuck in too late at night? She could have done any of those things, or none of them. She had no idea.

"It was… yellow when you lived here," Mia said from beside her. The house was a rust-color these days. "Your mom had this old, beat-up station wagon that you hated." She laughed. "But you kept it running for her."

Letty tried to picture the car sitting in the driveway. She couldn't.

"I don't remember."

"To be honest," Mia said. "You didn't spend a lot of time here. You came home to sleep and that was about it."

Letty couldn't say she was shocked by the revelation. She'd gone once, since coming back to LA, to visit her mom in rehab. Things had been awkward and it was obvious that it wasn't just because she couldn't remember the woman. If anything she thought that might have been a benefit to their relationship. At least given some of the stories Dom had shared with her.

"Well I must have, before I met you guys, right?" she asked.

"When your dad was still alive," Mia agreed. "You used to talk about him. He sounded like a great man."

"And after?" she wondered. "Where did I go?"

"Got in trouble." Mia laughed. "Of course. It's not like you weren't a little bit bad before you met Dom." She smirked. "You were into him for a reason."

Letty rolled her eyes. "I never imagined myself as an angel, Mi."

"Of course not. You know yourself."

"I guess." Letty smiled at her friend. "Did you ever get in trouble?"

"Not as much," Mia admitted. "But plenty. We used to get into trouble together, sometimes."

"I can definitely believe that."

They laughed, strolling around the side of the house slowly.

"Your bedroom was up there." Mia pointed out a window on the second floor.

"Not so easy to sneak out of," Letty commented.

"You didn't need to use the window." Her friend shrugged. "Your mom… she didn't really care, most of the time."

She sounded sorry when she said it, like she had to apologize for telling her the truth about her mother.

"It's okay, Mi. I know all about her and her issues."

"I know. But it makes me mad. She always made me so mad."

"Because you're a good friend," Letty told her.

Mia shrugged, shuffling her feet. "I haven't always been," she said. "I… said you were dead when… it wasn't you." She fell silent, trying to keep herself from crying. "I didn't even _ask_ them to make sure. And I told Dom that you were dead."

"Hey." Letty laid her hand against her friend's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Mia. How was anyone supposed to think it was anyone other than me?"

"I should have known," Mia argued. "We've been friends for so long. We were practically sisters." She laughed softly. "I used to say you just had to marry Dom and make it official."

"Yeah right," Letty snorted in disbelief.

"No, I'm serious. It would have happened eventually."

"I guess it's hard to see that when I'm missing so much of the picture," she muttered.

Mia fell silent beside her for a long moment before letting out a little sigh. "That's… fair. You're still missing all your memories. You can't feel the same way." She smiled a little. "I want to help, Letty."

"You do. By telling me about things. About this place, or the store. The days we spent at the track watching your dad race. Hell, even telling me about my fuck-up of a mom." She let out a short laugh. "I can't remember it. Who knows if I ever will. I'm glad I have you and the others to fill in the blanks."

"Is it enough?" Mia asked her.

"It has to be," Letty sighed. "It is. Right now, it's enough. That and making new memories. I don't need to remember this house to get to know the neighborhood. I'm making new memories with all of you."

Mia smiled, reaching over to hug her close. "We're so lucky we have the opportunity to make those memories," she said. "We all thought we'd lost you."

"Not everyone gets a second chance at life," she agreed. But she couldn't help but be resentful of her old life. The one she couldn't remember.

Even the shitty parts of it. Like her mother, and this home she'd barely spent any time in. She could see the swing set in the back yard. Too new looking to have been there when she was young. But someone lived here now who had kids. Who cared enough to assemble the swings for them.

"It's weird," she finally said, glancing at Mia. "I lived down the street from you guys. We must have gone to the same school… but I didn't meet you till I was a teenager, at some street race."

Her friend grinned. "Well, not that weird. You were a grade ahead of me. You hated school and were always in trouble. And I was… er,"

"A perfect A Student?" Letty asked, smirking at her.

"Yeah, I guess so." The other woman sighed. "So our paths never crossed at school. And Dom was a few years ahead and so, so wrapped up in his own world and in himself." She pulled a face. "So it's little wonder he didn't notice you in the school halls. But once you met out on the street…" Mia laughed. "He was totally gone."

"Yeah right."

"No, seriously," Mia insisted. "I'd never seen him at like that over a girl. That…. Stupid." She snickered, a sort of fondness in her gaze. "I mean ten minutes after he met you and he's wrecking his car showing off. With Dom he was always so… cool you know? Very chill. You sort of messed with his cool."

Letty grinned at her. "Maybe I just saw past all that bullshit."

"Yeah," Mia agreed. "Yeah I think you did." She smiled, putting her arm around her as they walked back down to the sidewalk together. "I think my brother needed that. And that's why he's always needed you."

"He doesn't seem to put up such a front anymore."

"With you. Or me, no," Mia agreed. "He's even gotten closer to Brian. But he still totally shuts down when he's hurt. Just… blank. He doesn't handle that." She sighed. "It's less about showing off now… but there's still that idea that a man can't show emotion."

"I'm not sure that's ever gonna change, Mi," Letty said, walking back up the block with her.

"Probably not." Her friend nodded. "Which is why it's good that you're here. So at least he'll open up with someone."

Letty fell silent, wondering if that was really the case. It was true, Dom told her about their past, their history. It didn't seem like he'd kept anything from her. But she thought there was also something that he was holding back. He hadn't really said how hard it had been for him after he'd thought her dead. Oh, she'd heard enough from Mia and Brian and the others to more than understand how bad a place he'd been in. But it hadn't really come from Dom. Maybe he was afraid of making her feel guilty. Maybe she could have answered all of these things better if she remembered their shared history. But as it was, she was left floundering.

Realizing she'd been quiet for too long she shot Mia an apologetic look.

"You seem to be getting lost in your own thoughts a lot, lately," the woman commented. "You know I'm here to talk if you want."

"Thanks, Mi," she replied, nodding. "I know."

And she did know, honestly. But it was hard to take advantage of it when she didn't even know how to talk about what was on her mind. She couldn't even remember her own parents… her own childhood. Who was Leticia Ortiz?

It was clear that the woman at her side could probably answer that better than she could.


End file.
